From Hate to Love
by Queen of Tortall
Summary: Soraya/Kavi. After Forging the Sword, Kavi visits Soraya in desert, and their relationship changes. Rated T for mild language.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

It was funny how love could be born out of so much hate. Though, as Soraya realized, she didn't hate the peddler anymore. The knowledge that Garren, that bastard, had killed her father, not Kavi, burned away it all. He might have betrayed Farsala, but he more than made up for it. Those torture scars would never go away.

She knew he didn't do it for her though.

She didn't even know if he loved her back. _Deghass-bitch_, she remembered him snarling.

But… that was so long ago. She had changed, and so had she. There were no more nobles, no more deghans and deghasses. _He_ was the important one in Farsala now. The Wheel had turned, and Soraya wasn't sure if she liked it.

Though, remembering the confining orders of her mother, she changed her mind. It was _much_ better to be with the Suud, free to hunt, free to be one with her _shilshadu_.

She stole a glance at Kavi, who sat across the campfire, staring off into the distance. A blush stained her pale cheeks as he came out of his trance and met her eyes. Unable to break the gaze, Soraya knew she _did_ love him completely… loved him as much as she trusted him. There was a time when that was not at all, but, like she said, times had changed.

He smirked to find her staring at him, and looked away. Soraya wondered what was _wrong_ with him- so many _other_ men had been unable to tear their eyes from her, gaping open-mouthed. She'd scorned them. But he was apparently not taken with her so-called beauty. If he was anyone else, she would be glad, but… Kavi was Kavi.

Soraya broke the silence, though she was unsure of what to say. She had to say _something_ though. "So… how's the Councilherd?"

He saw right through her ploy, but evidently decided to ignore it. "They're still like a bunch _goats_, and can't do anything without me…" Kavi trailed off, looking at her once more. "You an All-Speaker yet?"

He was pleased to see her look embarrassed.

"Maok's been teaching me about the _shilshadu_ of stone… but I just can't reach it! I _should_ be calm enough, now that the war's over… and…" She'd been about to say her family was home, but stopped abruptly. Merdas, poor Merdas, hadn't come back home. He'd died- not killed by the Hrum, but by illness. Sudaba had come back, aged ten years. She'd wanted nothing to do with her former life, and surprisingly, took up a job in the country. Soraya felt tears well up in her eyes, and dashed them away angrily. Even though she was a deghass no more, she still had her pride!

With two long strides, Kavi crossed the campfire-barrier that separated them, and put his arms around her, not as awkwardly as the last time. _Poor_ _girl_, he thought_. She has no family now… except Jiaan and the Suud… and maybe me?_

Soraya relaxed, but her sobs didn't cease as tears stained Kavi's shirt, blooming from his shoulder like a wet rose.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Soraya had fallen asleep by the time her sobbing had stopped, and Kavi, not wanting to wake her, carried her gently to the Suud tent where she slept. He looked at her face, more peaceful in sleep than he had ever seen while she was awake, bent to brush a kiss on the forehead of that picture of serenity. Surprised at himself and that sudden show of softness, he backed quickly but quietly out of the tent, afraid the girl would wake.

* * *

Light struck her eyes as Soraya awakened, looking blearily at the surroundings around her. She wondered what she was doing in her tent, and how she got there, when last night's events struck her.

"Ugh," she muttered, disgusted with herself. "Now he'll think I'm weak, and…" She stopped as the tent flap lifted and the peddler strode in.

"Talking to yourself again?" he asked, smirking that smirk of his, watching with amusement as she blushed. The pain was still there, hidden in her eyes, but she was more composed than last night, he noted.

"No!" Soraya snapped, glaring at him. "By the way… I'm leaving. To find my mother." _Huh?_ she wondered. _Where had _that_ come from_? But remembering her dreams of her once dignified mother slaving away on some farm, Soraya realized that her mother was as hurt as she by Merdas's death. Maybe they could heal together… Soraya snorted. _Yeah, right_. She was surprised to see that the peddler looked hurt though.

Kavi _was_ hurt. And confused. _Did I say something wrong last night_? he wondered. _But… I didn't! I didn't even say anything!_ He was taken aback, though, by his unwillingness to let her go. She wouldn't be _safe_ there either- the Dugaz rats were out of the swamp and prowling the countryside. _Since when was _I_ concerned about an ex-deghass's safety?_ he asked himself. But he knew the answer. Since they began to trust each other, since they had become… _friends_ of a sort. He looked up to see her staring at him again, waiting for a response. "I'll… I'll take you there," Kavi managed reluctantly. _Even though I don't want you to go_.

He'd been about to say more, but was interrupted by a loud thump at the doorway. "What the-?!"

Abab burst in, eyes wide and wild. "There's-" He was cut off by the sharp _twang_ of an arrow slicing neatly into his back.

Soraya gasped.

Kavi was pissed. _Who the hell did that!?_ he thought. _And why can't I stay in one place for more than day without _someone_ wanting to kill me? _


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The pair rushed out of the tent, hurriedly taking cover from the oncoming arrows. Everywhere, Suud were falling, from enemy archers and swordsmen.

_Who_? Soraya wondered, enraged. _Who would _do_ such a thing?! _She moved to help a little boy calling for his mama, but Kavi yanked her back behind the tent. "Don't risk yourself," he mouthed, earning himself an icy glare. "You can help them later."

They soon found who was behind all the pandemonium. Shir, in his bright silks and jewelry, lounged on a rock, surveying the scene of death before him. This time it was Kavi who leaped out of their hiding place and at the bandit-king.

"What d'ya think you're doing?!" he yelled. "You're butchering innocent people!"

Shir smiled dangerously. "Just the person I was looking for. Though where's your girlie? She run off with some other _non crippled_ man?"

Kavi, blinked, stunned. _What?_

Soraya, sensing trouble, went to them. "What. Are. You. Doing?" she spat, icy rage in every word.

Shir was unimpressed. "That's what loverboy here asked. What does it look like I'm doing? Oh, don't answer," he said, taking a look at her face, twisted in fury. "I've come to get some medicine for my sister-" he gestured toward a 10-year-old sitting on the rock beside him- "for the swamp fever. She hasn't got long to live, you know." His face changed, and Kavi caught a flash of fury in his eyes before the bandit composed himself. "Seems I recall someone offering to aid us?"

_Oops_, Soraya thought. _I forgot_. _And this is what he does to my friends!_ She began to make a scathing remark, but Kavi beat her to it.

"So? We're working on it! The Suud healers are doing the best they can, but as you said, they're barbarians." He looked apologetically at Soraya, who was still glaring at the bandits. "And there's really no need to kill all of them. If you kill them, they can't help you."

Shir shook his head, looking at Kavi like a parent looks at a child who has just thrown a fit. "Oh, but the one I need is right in front of me."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Who, me?" Soraya said at last, anger forgotten in her surprise. "_I'm_ not a healer."

"Oh, but you _are_, girlie. You have magic, yes?"

Soraya stared at him, taken aback. How did this _rat _know?

"I'll take that as a yes," Shir continued. "All you need to do is open your _shilshadu_ to my sister, and take the fever from her body to yours."

She snorted. "You think I'll do that for _you_? And how do you even know it'll work?"

"I have my ways, girlie. And if you don't, my people will kill the rest of the lovely Suud, and all the other tribes as well."

The little girl beside him whimpered in pain, and Shir put an arm around her. "You see?" he asked. "She's _hurt_. She needs your help!" Desperation was apparent in his eyes now, and Soraya took a step back. If his sister was so important that this man was reduced to desperation… well….

Soraya took a deep breath, but Kavi, once again, interrupted. "I'll do it."

"What?" said Shir.

"What?!" snapped Soraya, echoing him.

"What?" asked Kavi. "I said I'll do it."

"You don't have magic," Shir said disdainfully. "She does."

"But I do," replied Kavi. "How else do you think the Suud made those watersteel swords?"

"Ah, but you said the Suud made them, not you."

"So!?" yelled Kavi, patience finally used up. "I _helped_ them, alright!?"

Before Soraya, or anyone else could stop them, Kavi opened up his _shilshadu_ to the pitiful little girl, and took all of the sickness into his own body. He gasped, feeling all the pain of the swamp fever hit him at once.

Shir stood, finally. "Thanks," he said. "I guess you were right after all. We'll be leaving now."

"You _bastard!" _Soraya screamed after him, tears trickling down her cheeks for the second day in a row. "You can't do this!"

* * *

**AN: Haha, sorry for making Shir the bad guy in this. But he's still awesome, even if he _is_ evil! :P **


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"Let… let him go," Kavi whispered, seeing Soraya whip the winds around her angrily, creating a miniature sandstorm. "He's not worth it."

She rounded on him. "Why'd you do that?" she shrieked, the tears falling faster and thicker now. "I- I would have done something!"

Kavi raised an eyebrow. "Would you have struck him with lightning, just because he wanted to save his sister? Wouldn't you have done the same for your brother?"

From the look in her eyes, she hadn't thought of it that way. "Well, why did _you_ do it?" she demanded. "You had no obligation!"

"For you," he murmured, before falling into a dead faint.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Soraya wept over him for awhile, her head on his chest, before finally getting up. The realization that he loved her at least enough to spare her the pain of illness was all she needed. But Soraya supposed she should get some help, and find out if any Suud were alive.

Walking around, she found that all of them were. The Dugaz rats had wounded them enough that they would be of no help to Soraya or Kavi, but not enough to kill them. She thanked them for that, silently, but even that couldn't lessen her hatred.

She found the healers first. They, unsurprisingly, were the least hurt. After attending to all the wounded, Soraya asked them, even falling on her knees (though she knew she didn't have to), if they could try to heal Kavi. Ordinary medicines wouldn't work, but… perhaps something else?

They were adamant. The swamp fever could not be cured, and the peddler must be sent away before he infected the rest of the Suud.

Soraya turned away in despair, and went to see if Kavi was any better.


	7. Interlude

_It was said, after Sorahb died in all the power and beauty of his youth, after being slew by the treacherous Hrum governor, that a fever from the swamps swept the country. The tribes who were once Farsala's allies in the desert were said to have a magic to heal this disease, but in order to do so, the healer must be pure of heart and strong in will- and willing to take the illness into his own body. Azura himself looked after those few healers, rewarding those that deserved it for their selflessness._


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Soraya walked into the tent with a heavy heart. What could she possibly do for him, short of giving him her own life? She _should_ for all he had done for her and for Farsala. It was the least she could do.

She opened up her _shilshadu_ before even checking to see if he was better, and was astonished when a steady voice, devoid of any illness or hoarseness said, "Stop."

_What?_

"I'm… healed." Kavi continued, astonished himself. "I woke up… and I was all better." He couldn't think of anything other than those childish words to describe it.

"H-How?" Soraya's voice was thin with amazement.

"I dunno. I-" he stopped as Soraya flew into his arms.

"I'm so happy!" she sobbed, with tears of joy this time. "I thought you were going to _die_!" Sitting up, she sniffed good-naturedly. "The Suud wanted to exile you, you know."

"Well, I'm glad they didn't." His voice grew serious. "Being… so near death and all… made me realize something. I… I love you, Soraya." It was the first time he had said her name out loud.

Her big, dark eyes grew even wider.

She slapped him.

"Ouch!" Kavi yelped. "What did I say?"

"It took a _near__death experience_ for you to figure out you loved me?" she snarled_._

_Uh oh_, he thought. _Big uh oh. _He opened his mouth to apologize, but all apologies were forgotten as her mouth met his. _I guess this means she forgives me._


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

They laid in the tent, side by side, as Soraya gently traced the scars on his back. "I _am _sorry for that," she murmured softy. "We were going to get you out, but the Hrum were chasing us too." _Farsala came first _hung silently in the air between them. Kavi knew it, and didn't begrudge her it. For surely he came first in her heart, right? As if to answer her, she gave him another kiss.

He smirked. "That's better."

"So, what now?" she asked. "What of us?" He didn't have to answer. It was her decision to make. She would have to return to Farsala soon, she knew. That stupid Councilherd. And she… did she really want to stay with the Suud? She did- they were her family. But he was special too. She supposed… she supposed that she would come to visit them time to time.

And she did, a few months later, a wedding ring on her hand and a baby in her stomach. She named him Merdas Fasal, of the House of Leopard, for her baby brother, and as aa tribute to those who had lived and died for Farsala.


	10. Ending

_A child was born to two of Farsala's greatest leaders. He became as honest and crafty as his father, as noble and good-looking as his mother, with magic of both his parents. And he became as great a soldier as his uncle, who once commanded the Farsalan army of peasants. When the time came, and rebels plagued Farsala, and Sorahb was needed once again, he came to the rescue. But this Sorahb, unlike the others before him, died not in the glory of youth, but in the comfort of old age. _


End file.
